The Spirit of all Flesh

Well, Rabbi, we are doing another intercontinental episode of Madlik. Welcome to you from New York.

1:13 – AM:

Hey, welcome to you. It’s so nice to speak to you. And I’m so excited that you’re having such an amazing time. And you know, well, wow, your stories are amazing. I love I love Italy. I love Tuscany. And we’re jealous of you. And that’s great.

1:26 – GS:

So last week, in the question-and-answer section, Loren came up and he says one of his favorite things about traveling, especially in Europe, is going into churches where he, as a Jew, he experiences a certain level of spirituality or enhancement of his Judaism. So, I thought we’d pick up on that, didn’t know quite how, and then I started reading the Parsha, and lo and behold, I discovered, as I said in the intro, a title for God that I had never focused on. So, we all know the story of Korach’s rebellion, and if you don’t you can listen to past episodes or just read the whole Parsha. But at the end, when God is about to judge Korach in Numbers 16: 20, it says, And God spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, Stand back from this community, that I may annihilate them in an instant. But they, [meaning Moses and Aaron], fell on their faces and said, O God, source of the breath of all flesh, when one member sins, will you be wrathful with the whole community? So, I just translated, as source of the breath of all flesh. In the Koren edition, it says, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, and Everett Fox does that as well, spirits of all flesh. So, this word, ruchot, is going to be of interest to us. Ibn Ezra says something that is, I think was, in line with what was I expecting? He says, the term El indicates that God has the power to destroy them in a moment. God is the God of the spirits. This explains the term El, for God can destroy them because of their spirits are in his hand. Rabbi, when I first read this, before I started looking at any of the commentaries, I just thought this is a power play. God is the master of all the spirits. Somehow, I thought of ruach more in terms of almost wind and force than anything else. And it didn’t strike me as that out of the ordinary. Sure, you know, many times we talk about God in metaphors, whether it’s God is like a father or a husband. We have the 13 attributes that talk about, kel rachum v’chanun erech apayim, that God is merciful, he has patience with us etc., but it’s very rare, especially in the Five Books of Moses, before we get to the poetry of the prophets, that you hear expressions of God that are, in a sense, kind of so poetic. And so, my first impression was Ruchot was just kind of powerful. And then I was kind of surprised where all the other commentaries go. But what was your read of God, of the breath of all flesh, the spirit of all flesh? How do you read this? And do you think it’s as unique as I thought it was when I first read it?

4:48 – AM:

No, I mean, I’ll tell you, I think it’s unique. And I’ll tell you that I never really understood it properly. That’s why I was excited for our conversation. Because I think Kel Elohei haruchot l’chol basar… You say is it a power play? It’s about God. God’s uniqueness. Nobody else is haruchot l’chol basar. And I think that’s why the commentaries are so interested in trying to figure out what it means. Because there’s something here about God’s uniqueness that we don’t have anywhere else.

5:21 – GS:

So I said in the introduction it’s only mentioned in one other place and that one other place is a little bit further on in the book of Numbers in Barmidbar and it’s when Moses is told that he’s not going to make it into the promised land and Moses spoke to God saying and this is Numbers27: 15-18  Let God, source of the breath of all flesh, exactly the same phrase we have here, appoint someone over the community who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall take them out and bring them in, so that God’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd. And God answered Moses, single out Joshua son of Nun as an inspired man (lit. who has the spirit-ruach in him) , lay your hand upon him. So, when it talks about Yoshua ben Nun, ish asher ruach bo, v’samachta et yodcho alev. So, I think, that is where the direction turned. It was when they saw this other context. And now we have to somehow square this circle, ….  why is the same phrase used for not punishing the community? Of Korach indiscriminately, it would seem, and appointing someone to follow Moses who can be a good shepherd, who can take them in and take them out. And I think that really flavored their understanding. And it’s kind of interesting because that’s how we study, we look at words and we see where else they’re mentioned, how they’re mentioned, what the inflection is, and that’s the only tools that we have to figure out what the word means. But here it’s not, you can’t use this word like power, like ruach, like wind. Here it has to do with the spirit, because it says Joshua was ish asher ruach bo. So I think here’s where we start to kind of take a detour, and it has to do with the spirit inside of all basar, of all flesh. Do you agree with me?

7:39 – AM:

Good, I think that’s very good. I mean, when it says ish asher ruach bo, it means that he has this godly quality. Now, it doesn’t help us understand what this Godly quality is, but clearly it’s saying that he has this Godly quality.

7:56 – GS:

So, the two places that confirmed to me that this was absolutely unique was, one, I found this great site called https://www.mayim.org.il/ , and it literally has a whole article on just how important just finding sources that use this phrase. And in it, in the notes, he says,  אלה שתי הפעמים היחידות בהם נזכר הביטוי “אלוקי הרוחות” בכל המקרא!  9These are the only two times that this expression is used in all of Scripture!) So there was the first time it confirmed to me that I was kind of right, that this was absolutely unique. This is one of two places, says this source, that this verse is used. And the other one was not Nechama Leibovitch, but (her brother) Yeshayahu Leibovitch, who says, Moses, our teacher, uses here a very strange title, which is also singular in all of Scripture. So, my hunch was confirmed, but what I did find was another verse that seems to use it as well. And this is in the prophet Yoel/Joel. And in 3:1, it says, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and daughters shall prophecy, your elders shall dream dreams, and your youth shall see vision. Eshpoch et ruchi al kol basav. Kind of surprised that no one else mentioned it, but maybe they were talking about the Chumash, the Five Books of the Torah. But here you really start to get a sense of the universal and of it’s use as a metaphor.

10:17 – AM:

Isn’t it beautiful? But it’s striking. You like how it uses Ruach, Spirit. I like the way it uses to pour… to pour the spirit, like it’s a liquid….

10:19 – GS:

And I love the fact you mention it because I think it’s going to come up in one of the midrashim that we are going to quote. Interestingly on this, Rashi says on the Yoel, upon all flesh, upon anyone whose heart becomes soft as flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, he quotes from Ezekiel. (In my mind) He kind of tries to take away the universalism from it, in a sense. He makes it almost more like a (particular) character trait (available to some and not others). But the Ravid, really shows how revolutionary the concept is. I put his commentary into the category of, “he doth protest too much”. In other words, he says, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, meaning on Israel! So, he is really is clearly bothered by the fact that this end of days prophecy is so universal and is so humanistic in the sense that anyone, whether they are young or old, daughters or sons will have this. And I just quote him because he’s an outlier, but I do think that he shows kind of how revolutionary this concept is. Before we leave the true meaning of ruach, whether it means power and wind, or whether it means soul. I would like to reference something that we all say in our prayers. When it comes to the winter, we say, meishiv haruach umorid a Geshem (bring back the wind and bring down the rain) and in the Spring, Mashiv ha-ruach, o morid ha-tal, bring back the wind and bring down the dew. They do? Is that in the summer months after Pesach or until Pesach?

12:03 – AM:

Yes, that’s in the summer months.

12:05 – GS:

So actually, mashiv haruach would be to hold back the wind, right?

12:09 – AM:

No, mashiv haruach, actually the two words mashiv haruach means to blow the wind or to bring the wind in. It seems to be that the wind brings in the rain and the wind brings in the dew, but that’s an interesting question. How do they translate the word? I’m checking it out of the Art Scroll Sidur right now as we talk. Because you’re right, mashiv, who makes the wind blow is the way Rabbi Art Scroll translates.

12:49 – GS:

Okay, but certainly it has that word teshuvah in it. It has the word of coming back. And any of us who have been to the Nova exhibit in downtown New York. At the end of the exhibit, they have a display about a new Israeli amutah, a new Israeli charity. And the charity’s name is Project Meshiv HaRuach. And what it does is it takes advantage of the two meanings of the word ruach that we are playing with, and it goes in the other direction, because Meshuv HaRuach, without a doubt, is used to describe the wind. But they ahve opened up a charity that is helping those affected by the massacre at the Nova Festival, including caregivers who were traumatized and need to get their spirit back. And get personal resilience back, it is using me’shiv ha ruach as a way of bringing back your spirit. So that kind of brings it right up to today, that this word ruach, like I think neshama, which is another word for the spirit, but comes from the same Hebrew word as linshom, to breathe, There is this sense that whether it’s life is associated with breathing, or this ruach is movement that you can’t see or touch maybe, but it’s the dynamism, the vitality of life. Lovely how these words have been used to play out in different ways.

14:20 – AM:

Amazing. So we have mashiv, haruach, and eshpoch, ruchi (pure out my spirit). So you have great metaphors here today.

14:27 – GS:

So, the other thing that came to mind is here we have, unlike most descriptions of God in the Five Books of Moses that talk about how God, his or her disposition to humankind, there are two times in my mind where an interlocker comes and tells God, in a sense defines God to God, and kind of says, God, get a handle on Yourself. You are, in our case, the spirit of all flesh. But that brings back to mind Abraham and his arguments for Sodom. And he says … Talking to God, he says, Far be it from you to do such a thing in Genesis 18, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that the innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from you shall not the judge of all the earth deal justly? Halilla lecha, HaShofet Kol HaAretz lo Ya’aseh Mishpat

15:30 – GS:

So, it is kind of fascinating that we get this kind of nuanced description of God in two similar situations. Whether it’s Korach or Sodom, the explanation is the interlocker, Abraham or Moses are arguing not to kill the innocent with the guilty in both cases, and in both cases they trie to kind of frame God in a certain way and say, you know, you’ve got to God up, so to speak. You’ve got to man up and be who you’re supposed to be.

16:06 – AM:

That’s great. I love the idea of God up, God, right? And you have to do what you need to do.

16:11 – GS:

So now we’re going to move into the mainstream explanation of what the spirit of all flesh is. And it’s actually rather beautiful. And it does square the circle around the square of the two places that it’s mainly referenced, Korach, not punishing the innocent with the guilty, and Moses saying to God, pick somebody who can be a shepherd and who can take the Israelites, in and out. So, in Bar Midbar Rabbah 21: 15 it says, a man in whom there is spirit, because he said God of the spirits. And now, as you know, the spirit of each and every one of your creations, and you should appoint a person who knows how to conduct himself with each and every one of them in accordance with their own disposition. This is almost a lesson in pedagogy (reminiscent of Provers/Mishle Teach every child in his own way). And lay your hand upon them. Like one kindling from lamp to lamp, and you shall confer from your grandeur upon them, and you’re going to love this one, or like one pouring from vessel to vessel. He uses the exact same metaphor as Yoel. What you said an inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe, this honor will not move from your patrilineal house, as even Joshua who’s standing in your stead before Eliezer the priest, he shall stand.” So now it first adds this nuance that for a leader, the leader has to understand that all of his or her subjects, are going to be different, but it also makes an argument against primogeniture or nepotism, and even the patrimony. What Moses is saying is, you know all people, pick the best person. Don’t pick my son, don’t pick the one who is next in line, pick the right person. It’s a profound lesson in education, in leadership, but that is ruach b’kol basar, that each person has a different spirit.

18:32 – Unidentified Speaker

I just think that’s beautiful.

18:33 – AM:

That is fantastic. You know, each person has a different spirit and maybe that spirit is a piece of God.

18:42 – GS:

Oh, I love that.

18:43 – AM:

Right? Because God is the one of spirit, and then everybody has their own spirit. So therefore, we’re all a piece of God. It must be something like that. Because Yehoshua has a spirit, and he’s a piece of God.

18:57 – GS:

That’s wonderful. So, because it’s so profound, let’s explore a few other midrashim that kind of flush out this idea even a little more. In Sifrei Zutah 27: 18 it says, since he went with the strict according to their opinion and with the moderate according to their opinion. So again, this getting into the unique character of every individual. There are some who are going to be Mahmir, and there are some who are going to be Mekel. You have to know how to deal with each one of them. The Sifrei Zutah continues. A God who knows the thoughts and spirit of each individual, who is proud and one who is humble. One who is easygoing (with his fellow), and one who is demanding. And he quotes from Psalms, he who fashions their hearts alike, who considers all their deeds. And he’s quoting from Proverbs, every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. So, the concept here is, as you were saying, this ruach, this spirit, is in man, but only the ultimate Spirit; God, can fathom it in every different person. And that is, and again, I think we’re talking about humanity pretty obviously here, that is that there’s a part of man in God, and there’s a part of God in every man. And that’s that kind of pouring from vessel to vessel, that metaphor that you brought to the front that I love so much. Rashi on Numbers 27:16:2, God of the spirits of all flesh, why is this expression used? Why does he not simply state Elokei kol basav, the God of all flesh? Why the spirit of all flesh? He said to him, Lord of the universe, the personality of each person is revealed to you, and no two are alike. Appoint over them a leader who will tolerate each person (Sovel kol echad) according to his individual character. So as usual, Rashi kind of summarizes where all of these various midrashim are going. It’s really kind of profound, and it does take it beyond where Abraham was, which is just how can the judge of mankind, not judge in this case. Here it goes even beyond Korach. Again, we’re just protecting the innocent. Here we’re looking for the kind of unique and good in every individual. Amazing phrase, a way of describing the Godhead.

21:32 – AM:

Amazing, absolutely amazing, and so important that they actually go to the trouble of explaining the Godhead. Usually, we don’t try to explain God, but here you see how much they go out of their way to explain God.

21:49 – GS:

So there’s a lot of other material in the Sefaria source sheet, and I encourage you all to explore. It is linked to the podcast. But there’s one favorite Musar book that I love, Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart by Bachya Ibn Pekuda). And in the section that he’s actually talking about how we talk about God and what we have to believe in God. And after he says the obvious stuff, which is you can’t really say anything positive; you can only say what God is not, then he gets into the fact that we can only call God by a name, and that’s why we say HaShem. It’s kind of a placeholder. And it even goes to the fact that God is called by so many different names because we cannot understand anything about him except his name. But then he brings our verse. And he brings our verse in line with the fact that we talk about God’s glorious name is also associated with heaven and earth, the spirits (even wind! ed). As Abraham said, I will make you swear by the heaven and earth. And Moses says, the God of the spirit of all flesh. But then he goes on and he says, the reason for this is that he is known to us in the way possible through the traditions of our forefathers. Forefathers from who we have inherited the knowledge of his ways. And the way I take this, Rabbi, is that I really feel, and I think I’ve said this before, that belief in God, that religion, I feel is a chush, is a sense, a kind of a sensitivity, that man has, similar to aesthetics and appreciation of art, similar to appreciating music. It’s something that no animal has. It’s something that’s uniquely human. And therefore, it’s not far-fetched to think that we get it from are forebearers. And from that I look at this Lechol HaBasar is the spirit that is transferred down to you from previous generations. Not 100% sure if this is what Chovot HaHalavot is saying, but I do think that that is is part of it here. It’s part of what Moses is doing for Joshua. It’s picking the next person to transfer the baton. But I do think what the various Midrashim are saying is that there is a piece of God in every human being. And from that aspect, if you want to discover God, you can look up, but you can also look in, and you can also look to the other person standing opposite you (and you can also look back at previous generations who explored and articulated this sense).

24:36 – AM:

It’s a great idea. This is such a good topic. And you know, it’s so important how it’s brought up in this week’s parsha, right?

24:43 – GS:

You know but kind of kind of surprising though.

24:46 – AM:

Yeah.

24:47 – AM:

I mean, that’s also a question which we haven’t really talked about. Why is it needed in this week’s parsha? Because really God is challenged here. And so, God has to define God’s unique character, something like that, right?

25:04 – GS:

Either something like that or in a year or two ago we talked about why challah is mentioned right after [the story of the spies and the punishment that the generation would die in the desert), and some of the commentary say because the Spies story is so depressing that God had to give them something sweet and something nice and he had to talk about when you get into the land you’re going to take challah and maybe thisphrase is the something sweet and something nice also, that God is a loke kol basa. Ruach lo kol basa (that is given to cheer us up after the Korach story). Who knows? But it is here. It is a surprise. And it probably means that we’re talking about something that maybe most people aren’t talking about when they study the parasha of Korach, which is just fine that’s what we do in Madlik.

25:44 – AM:

No that’s perfect that’s why we are who we are and we really picked up something that is that’s really important but is not I think is really not addressed. I didn’t think about it before that and you know find in the other Pasuk in Yehoshua and you know in the Pasuk in Navi I think that’s great in Yoel.

26:02 – GS:

Yeah. So in Barachot, and now we’re talking about blessings that you say, the sages taught, one who sees the sages of Israel recites, blessed are you, O Lord, our God, who has shared of his wisdom with those who revere him. “SheHalak Chachmato LeYireav” One who sees sages of the nations of the world recites, recites, blessed are you, O God, who has given of his wisdom to flesh and blood. I found that kind of interesting because, again, it talks about this lakol basar, or basar vadam. One who sees kings of Israel recites, blessed who has shared his glory with those who revere him, one who sees kings of other nations of the world, recites blessed his God, who has given his glory to flesh and blood.”

So I think whether it’s exactly referring to this or not, I think we need to see the next Midrash Tanchuma. But I do think that there is this sense getting back to Lauren’s comment last week of walking into a church, which is from another culture, on another continent, and another religion, and being able to find the ruach elohim, I think that’s where these thoughts are going. In Midrash Tanchuma, it says, quoting our verse, When Moses spoke, let the Lord, the God of spirits, appoint, let our master instruct us. What blessing does one say on seeing a human being that is different? Thus have our masters taught. On seeing a black person, one with white blotches, a hunchback, a pockmarked person, or afflicted with dropsy, one says blessed is the one who makes mortals different. Baruch Mishanei Habriot. What an amazing blessing about diversity. I mean, you can’t get any better than that.

27:57 – AM:

That’s great. I mean, okay, so we’re about diversity, and each one of us has the Spirit of God in us, even though we are diverse.

28:08 – GS:

And it says, if you see someone who, for instance, is blinded by a car accident, something happened to them that struck them and handicapped them, you might say, baruch dayan haemet (Blessed is the True Judge) . But if you see someone who was born with a deficiency, you make the same blessing. who makes mortals different. Baruch Mishanei Habriot.

28:30 – GS:

Then it says, but if he sees crowds of human beings, he says, blessed is the one who is learned in mysteries. Baruch Hacham Harazim.

28:43 – GS:

I mean, again, it’s like looking at a crowd of people and saying to yourself, what is the mystery of every person in this crowd? How did God make us in Betselem Elokim (in the image of God) and each one of us is that different coin that is minted from the same mold? I mean, it goes right back to the first Rashi on “the Image of God” in Bereshit, but it definitely celebrates the differences between us. And it literally comes from our verse. Just amazing.

29:14 – AM:

Amazing. This is great. Just amazing.

29:17 – GS:

And the fact that it comes to our verse is fantastic so just so we don’t leave this and Those who are listening don’t realize other places that the word is used in terms of God; the spirit of everyone when you do your hashanot around the bima of this Simchat Torah. Remember when it says, HaShem aneinu biyom koreinu elokei haruchot ha’shiya na. It made it to the ha’shanot. It made it to blessings and piyutim that are said to a chatan and kalah (bride and groom). It is It is really just amazing how this elokei haruchot shel kol basar is something that we’ve all kind of passed over, but has become part and parcel of Yiddishkeit and Judaism, and this belief that we can really find the Spirit of God in everything. So, I wanted to close with directly connecting with Loren’s comment about going into churches. And I’d love to hear from you, Rabbi, if you’ve had any experiences of going into churches. I have two. One recently, I was down in Atlanta, Georgia and I went to Sunday services at Martin Luther King’s church (The Ebenezer Baptist Church) and I put on my kippah and I wanted to be there as a Jew and I wanted to express my solidarity and hope that the African-American community would renew their solidarity with us and continue the solidarity (with the Jews from the days of the Civil Rights struggle) for so long. And they acknowledged us. I think it was important to be there as a Jew. The other time, and it’s in the notes, I went on a trip of survivors and children of survivors of a single village in Poland. And in this village of Będzin,. The Nazis asked all the men to come to Friday night services. They locked the door and they burned down the synagogue. And a few of the Jews got out. I was there to commemorate that. We said Kaddish. And then all of a sudden, I see people going up to the top of the hill. And I’m looking up and I’m looking up, and on the top of a hill is a church. And I am wondering why am I going there? And then they stand outside, and I put pictures in the notes.

And they laid a wreath under a plaque. And I looked at the plaque, and it was in Polish and Hebrew.

And it says that the priest (Mieczysław Zawadzki) was one of the righteous among the nations. He opened up the doors of the church knowing that he and his nuns were at risk if they were caught. He saved Jews. Some of the children of the people that he saved were there. And that was the first time that I saw so many people with kippot going inside of a church and looking at stained glass window that had his image, and listening to the priest who was talking about this guy.

But what about you? Have you ever gone into a church as a Jew? Have you ever experienced any spirituality going into a church?

32:36 – AM:

The most powerful church we ever have gone into is a church in Rome and that’s the church where the horned Moses and it’s in a church and like every time we go to Rome we go visit this church and you know such an important Jewish symbol really which is the horn Moses is in this church and we always feel as if wow you know like the church is going on around us all the things it’s still unlike the churches you described in Italy this is a church it’s still an active church but the horn Moses is in that church.

33:09 – GS:

And somehow you felt the need to go in there. And I’ve attached an article by a guy named Jeremy Rosen. I looked him up. His father started a school in England called Carmel College. He went to my alma mater, Bayer Yaakov, for three years. (note: Since my cousin Aviezer Wolfson went to Carmel College and since Aviezer recommended that I go to Beer Yaakov, I assume that I owe it to the Rosens that I went there! gs) And he describes, he says, first of all, Christian music or any music is off the table. No one has ever said it’s forbidden. Half of our nigunim (tunes) we copy from the non-Jews that we live with. And he says nowadays that there’s a reapproachment between us and Christians. Nowadays that it’s a new world. He said that you can find no reason for not going in. But he talks about bringing (Haredi) rabbis in and Ovadia Yosef’s Teshuva (responsa) on it and others who aren’t simply saying it’s not that you’re allowed or not allowed to go in, but they go in, as you say, to be inspired by a Michelangelo, to see that ruach elokim b’kol basar. And that’s how I want to finish. It’s all around us. We have to find it. We have to celebrate it. And it is an amazing phrase and perception of our God that is staring us right in the face and hidden in this story of Korach that we read this Shabbat.

34:31 – AM:

Amazing. Great topic today. Enjoy your Shabbat in Tuscany. I’m looking forward to next week back on the East Coast. Be well, Shabbat shalom.

34:40 – GS:

Thank you so much. Shabbat shalom to you. Hey, Loren, you want to come up?

34:46 – GS:

I should have dedicated this podcast to you. But anyway, I was thinking of you. Oh, here we go.

34:53 – Loren Davis

I didn’t realize that it had that impact on you, but I think you have to experience it to get that impact. The inclusiveness of being in a religious site and understanding it from an artistic and from a humanistic point of view, for me is overwhelming. And that’s why I enjoy, I enjoy, you know, I’m fulfilled by attending synagogue and visiting synagogues, but churches come in a close second because they do open up so many other areas of our perception and of our emotion. And so I’m glad that you’re doing that, and Italy is a wonderful place to experience that.

35:00 – GS:

I must say that when we were in Atlanta, and we were a UJA Federation group from Fairfield, Connecticut, and we went to Ebenezer Baptist Church, and everybody who left says, I wish my shul (synagogue) services were that inspiring I mean, people were clapping, people were standing up and saying hallelujah. We have a lot to learn. But anyway, thank you for inspiring this week’s topic, and I look forward to chatting with you next week as well. All the best.